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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Nizzeyy on 2025-08-17 13:48:26+00:00.

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3-Week Japan Travel Itinerary/Report (May 18 – June 6, 2025)

This May/June, my girlfriend and I traveled through Japan for three weeks together with another couple. I’d love to share our itinerary and travel experiences with you. It’s a fairly factual overview, mainly intended to give a general idea of what there is to do and what is feasible in a day. I don’t review everything in detail, but we honestly enjoyed almost everything—unless I specifically mention otherwise. Feel free to ask about any specific experiences or practical tips, tho!

Day 1 (Sunday, May 18)

• Arrival in Tokyo. Arrival around 2 PM at Narita airport.
• By train and Yamanote line to our apartment in Shinjuku.
• To Senso-ji and the Sanja Matsuri festival in Asakusa. We were lucky to be there exactly on the final day of this annual festival in Tokyo. (Every third weekend of May).
• Ended the evening in Kabukicho/Golden Gai (walking distance from our apartment).

Day 2 (Monday, May 19)

• Meiji shrine + inner garden
• Yoyogi park (We had planned to go there on Saturday or Sunday, as it’s said to be very lively on weekends. Due to a problem with our flight, we only arrived in Tokyo on Sunday afternoon, so that didn’t work out. On Monday the park was very quiet).
• Harajuku (including Takeshita street)
• Shibuya crossing
• Akihabara

Day 3 (Tuesday, May 20)

• Kappabashi dori
• Ueno park
• Ueno Toshogu shrine
• Tokyo national museum
• Shinobazuno pond benten
• Ameyokocho market
• Walk through Nezu and Yanaka (nicely quiet after a day in the crowds).
• Nezu Shrine
• Dinner in Omoide Yokocho

Day 4 (Wednesday, May 21)

• Shinjuku Gyoen
• Yokohama (Minato Mirai and China Town)
• Football match Yokohama F. Marinos – Vissel Kobe

Day 5 (Thursday, May 22)

• Imperial palace / Kokyo gaien
• Tsukiji fish market
• Grand Sumo tournament in the Ryogoku Kokugikan. One of the highlights of the trip. Totally into sumo ever since. See my earlier comment about the experience.
• Tokyo Skytree. One of the few less enjoyable experiences that generally felt a bit like a tourist trap. The view was quite nice, but we were a bit late so it was already getting dark. Also, it was very crowded and we had to wait a long time to get up and especially to get back down.

Day 6 (Friday, May 23)

• Start of a 4-day road trip through the Japanese Alps.
• Arakurayama Sengen Park / Chureito Pagoda. We hoped to see Fuji, but unfortunately it was hidden in the mist so not visible.
• Drove on to Matsumoto. Visit to Matsumoto Castle.
• Stay in a Ryokan hotel with onsen, traditional Kaiseki meal.

Day 7 (Saturday, May 24)

• Hiking in the beautiful Kamikochi (Chubu Sangaku National Park)
• Dinner in Takayama
• Overnight stay in Shirakawa-go

Day 8 (Sunday, May 25)

• Enjoying the beautiful famous houses in Shirakawa-go and the slightly further located Gokayama.
• Continuation of the road trip to Kanazawa, overnight stay in Kanazawa

Day 9 (Monday, May 26)

• Traditional tea ceremony
• Kenroku-garden
• Kanazawa castle
• Final part of road trip from Kanazawa to Kyoto

Day 10 (Tuesday, May 27)

• Arashiyama Bamboo grove. Quite beautiful but small and very crowded. The bamboo forest on Mt. Inari was much more impressive.
• Nishiki market
• Gion (Sannenzaka, Ninenzaka, Yasaka pagoda, Yasaka shrine).
• Fushimi Inari Taisha. We didn’t just stay on the main path but also took the ‘hidden trail’ and we loved it. Very beautiful bamboo forest. At the top of Mount Inari a great view over Kyoto by night.

Day 11 (Tuesday, May 28)

• Nijo castle
• By Shinkansen from Kyoto to Fukuyama and from there a local train to Onomichi. Great to enjoy an ekiben bought at the train station along the way.

Day 12 (Wednesday, May 29)

• Shimanami Kaido! With rented road bikes from Onomichi across islands and bridges through the Seto Inland Sea to Imabari on Shikoku. Very cool for people who enjoy sporty activities like ourselves.

Day 13 (Thursday, May 30)

• Trip from Imabari to Hiroshima
• Peace memorial park / Atomic dome / Peace memorial Hall + museum. Impressive..

Day 14 (Friday, May 31)

• We flew from Hiroshima to Okinawa where we stayed for 3 nights. Unfortunately the weather was disappointing so we didn’t do much there, but we did relax.

Day 17 (Tuesday, June 3)

• Flight from Okinawa to Osaka.
• Baseball match Orix Buffaloes – Hiroshima Carps.

Day 18 (Wednesday, June 4)

• Osaka castle
• Kuromon market
• Shinsekai
• Tsutenkaku Tower
• Dotonbori street

Day 19 (Thursday, June 5)

• Osaka 2025 world expo. See my earlier review.
• ROR comedy club.

Day 20 (Friday, June 6)

• Traditional Bunraku performance at the National Bunraku theatre.
• Return flight from Osaka back home.

General experiences/impressions

An amazing trip through a beautiful and diverse country with rich culture, history, stunning nature, buzzing modern cities, calm parks, beautiful gardens, friendly people and delicious food. Love the food markets, love the konbinis, LOVE the izakayas.

Our travel pace was high and it was definitely not a ‘relax vacation’. But overall it was doable. For fit and active travelers this schedule is feasible, for people who prefer a slower pace it might be (too) intense.

Hopefully this helps you in planning your own trip and feel free to ask me anything you’d like to know!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Bossball4 on 2025-08-13 13:49:11+00:00.

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With money from my summer internship flooding in, I decided well in advance to see the sakura in April for peak Japan. A full budget breakdown will be at the end including a link to the Spreadsheet I used to track my expenses. This was a solo trip I began planning for 8 months. I tend to overplan before cutting stuff out in the moment. This is going to be very in depth, so strap in and grab some popcorn if you want to tuck in!

Day -1: Flying nonstop MSP to HND was ~$1500 for regular Economy. I have my classic drink order: Woodford Reserve whiskey to sleep lol

Day 0: High Table: Landing in Haneda (HND), it took just 30 minutes from getting off the plane to leaving customs with my backpack and checked luggage. I reserved a 3GB Pocket WiFi from NinjaWiFi like always, which was plenty for solo travelling and using Google Maps every other moment. I used Timeshifter to help minimize my jet lag, which did help!! I also had melatonin with me as well to ensure my best chances of being jet lagged for not that long. I reserved a Gran Class ticket (to be used later) with my JR Rail Pass at the JR East Travel Center, and got some free chopsticks, neat! I wandered around Haneda Airport Garden but wasn’t too impressed.

LODGING, which I booked for my whole March 31 - April 12 stay: Pegasus Hostel. 200 USD total via AirBnB.

While the hostel was a little cramped, and you have to carry luggage up stairs, the in unit (I forgot if it was coin operated) laundry and free WiFi is nice to have, and I was more than happy given how cheap the accommodation was. The receptionist mainly speaks Mandarin, so my Cantonese did not really work, and we made do with English and Google Translate which had no issues. Let me tell ya, this hostel is a sleeper pick location-wise!! You are <5 min away walking from Asakusabashi Station, ONE stop away from Akihabara, ONE train ride to-from HND if you take Keisei thru line to the Asakusa Line, and a more involved walk to Bakurochō Station. There is a FamilyMart and 7-Eleven within a 2 minute walk, along with Naruto Taiyaki Honpo Asakusabashi shop for a nice evening Taiyaki. There is a caveat though, taking the Chuo Line from here is almost always super busy, and the station’s east exit is a little cramped, so I would not recommend it as much if you have more than 1 rolling luggage.

I ate supper over in Akihabara at Wako Tonkatsu Akiba 8th Floor, as PremierTwo recommended it, quite nice and super filling! I would need this to prepare my liver for…

HIGHLIGHT: Bar BenFiddich. I had to reserve this in advance, and I felt ultra intimidated being in such a curated and intimate space. I felt small in my expansive seat, as I was seated right in front of Hiroyasu Kayama himself! I got to see him make most of the drinks ordered in that 2 hour slot, and it was magical. I had to wrack my imagination for drink orders since this place has no menu. He put me at ease, and made 3 cocktails that I will never forget.

Scotch? + Passion fruit w/ Muscat Liquor, chocolate?, and fennel sprinkles

My request: something using the muscat grape. He blowtorched the top?! WHAT. But it was a brilliant gradient of flavor.

Japanese Gin w/ Lavender Distilled Water

My request: something floral. It’s perfectly fragrant, topped with a sprig of lavender. It’s wavy in the sense of winds going over a lavender field.

Chery Brandy + Drouet Cognac VS Grande Champagne

My request: “a warm hug on a cold snowing day.” He then makes this HOT tiny dainty signature cocktail, which was literally on fire at some point. WHAT. It was right on point with my abstract request, and my only regret was that I could not finish it… because 3 drinks would put me to sleep. I am a lightweight, 6’ 2”, 160 lbs, half white (Germany + Wales), half Chinese, and 2 drinks is enough to make me drunk. I needed to make sure I could take the train back to my hostel lmaooo

Step Count: roughly 9k steps

Day 1: Eye’s Up: It’s April Fool’s Day, so I did not sleep great, only sleeping 11-3-5-6? The rain in the morning was not welcome. Maybe it being April Fool’s was unrelated. I ate breakfast at Kameido Gusto (decent, but would’ve preferred a konbini) before buying a shirt from Work Land. I got new glasses at Jins (Akihabara Yodobashi Camera), but it took 2 days of having a mental breakdown before I started liking the glasses lmaoooo.

Lunch was at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building’s Cafeteria bc I make it a consistent staple to eat there once per Japan trip. The curry was good, but the cafe pastry left much to be desired.

I bought souvenirs at Shinjuku Marui Annex before walking to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden which was not that busy due to the light rain throughout the whole day. I sauntered into Omotesando but did not buy anything there. I took the train back, and it stopped for several minutes, an odd occurrence… My night ends with a mashup supper of a 7-Eleven onigiri, a FamilyMart fried chicken, and some dried persimmons before going to SAKE street nearby for a flight of sweet sake.

14.5k steps

Day 2: PremierMe: After a crisp 9 hours of sleep, I’m up for breakfast at Ootoya. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! For only 600 JPY, I got red rice, miso soup, chicken, and unlimited drinks. A killer breakfast set for basically $4 USD. Once again, my train stops in the middle of the line… huh.

I spend a fair amount of time taking Shinkansen pictures from the Nippori Station’s North Bridge before trying to find cats at Yanaka Ginza. The rain eventually stops, but not before I get some gelato and a latte from Guru Guru. The Yanaka Cemetery is a great place to visit. A stroll around leads to some peaceful adages, loads of sakura, and the rare stray cat. Another train down to Ueno leads to plenty of souvenirs, shaved ice, and lunch at Uo Tsuka: full of oysters, ikura-don, and a sweet sake to pair with the seafood. I eventually end up at Ishibashiinari Shrine where I adjust my itinerary until loud bells begin ringing. It’s 3PM, and a ceremony of sorts seems to be happening. I bask in the loud noises, before I drop off my purchases at my hostel.

Following a few of the steps that PermierTwo took in his 2024 Meguro walk and talk, I witness the sakura festival at Naka-Meguro! Stopping at Kura Sushi for supper, I go to the raised crossing that is the inspiration for the location where Akane Kurokawa is saved by Aqua Hoshino in Oshi no Ko Season 1. A bit of a trek from the station, but nothing unusual. I stop at Traveler’s Factory, a haven for stationary lovers, although I only buy a small notebook refill there. Next is SLOWJAM GARAGE for a sakura highball, where somehow I feel a brief and fleeting sense of community. I get a bit more food, some gyoza at Ohka the Bestdays.

Last stop of the day was Bar Panorma Ginza, which fun fact: is not located in Ginza. A pain to find, but once you enter you are in a textbook otaku paradise. No no, not for anime. Trains! The bulk of the floorplan is taken up by the lovely trainset! A shinkansen zips around. A local train whirs past, and there are more model trains on the walls! All of the drinks are train line themed, you HAVE to order the Yamanote Line drink if you like sweet and/or melon.

To unwind, I went to Akihabara because I found a Taiko machine cheaper than all the others… how? I got 3 songs per play instead of 2… ohohoho it is #MusicMaxxing time! I would do this most nights… I like combining violence (hitting a drum) with music (anime openings).

20.3k steps

Day 3: A Simple Meal: I didn't sleep that long, which was okay because I spent 6 hours in Akihabara! I got Pork Belly Curry for lunch at Hinoya Curry before spending 2x retail price on a countryside Miku figurine at a crane game, oof. I popped into Yusha Kobo which is a super cool physical keyboard shop. Yeah, you’re better off buying it all online, but it’s nice to see and test the keyboards and switches yourself!~

I waltz on over to Shibuya, and I immediately get lost. Not in the station, but in the basement department store of Shibuya Mark City. I swear, every department store could use better wayfinding, but I’ll live. I eventually found Kageyamarou to have some soba for supper! A perfect fuel for the drinks I am about to indulge in, I get out on the streets, and what’s that? PLAYERS by YOASOBI is playing! I am so elated, I saunter, skip, and dance my way down the street to LOST Bar. I enjoy the April Cocktail: License to Chill, Like a Magic Mule, and the cracker-cheese plate! I push myself to eat it all, even if I accidentally stalled my appetite… oops lol my greed tends to get the best of me >~>

10.4k steps

Day 4: A-S-O So Much Volcano: It is time to be ambitious! I take a 7AM flight down to Kumamoto, with a rental car in wait, ready to drive towards Aso. No, there were no Pikachu plushies in the vending machines, very sad. I was amazed security took only 1 minute AND I could bring water through security??? America could never. I miss spotting Mt Fuji from the plane which is very sad, but I was about to see more mountains!

The rental kei car was awesome! Getting >50 mpg, taking only <10 seconds on ignition for it to recognize and automatically play music from my iPad, and the snazzy gps. Oooo, now this is a nice upgrade from my Chevy Spark. While it was only 57F outside, it was warm coming from Minnesota~. Ozu Roadside Station was filled with samples aplenty, so ofc I had to buy some Ube Cheesecake, which was the tastiest thing I s...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Affius on 2025-08-12 08:04:33+00:00.

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I realized this could be too much so I want to know your opinion. I(M27)'m travelling with two friends (M27, M27) and we are visiting Japan the first two weeks of September. I'm kinda used to time-efficient schedules but I'm not sure about them. Do you have any suggestions for the weather. Thank you for your time!

09/01 Tokyo: Akihabara

12:15 Landing and customs

15:00 Lunch in Tokyo

16:00 Check in in Ginza apartment

17:00 Akihabara: Chuo Dori, Mandarake, Yobodashi Camera, Kanda Shrine

20:00 Maid cafe

09/02 Tokyo: Shinjuko + Shibuya

09:30 Shinjuko: Tokyo Metropolitan building

10:45 Shinjuko: Gyoen National Garden

13:30 Shinjuko: Hanazano Shrine, Street food, Golden Gai, Omoide Yokocho, Kabuki ho

15:30 Teamlab Planets (Already booked)

18:30 Shibuya: Crossing, Center Hai, 109, Sushi (booked), Shimboshi by night

09/03 Tokyo: Imperial palace + Asakusa

10:00 imperial palace tour (booked)

11:30 Seiko museum

12:30 Food at home

16:30 Asakusa: Senso ji, Nakamise dori, Sumida Park, Kappabashi street

20:00 Skytree by night (booked)

21:00 Udon, Senso ji by night

09/04 Nikko

09:00 Checkout

--Train 3h--

12:00 Visit tobu Nikko (Tosho gu, bridges and shrines) and have lunch

17:00 Check in hotel

18:00 Onsen

20:00 Dinner outside

09/05 Nikko

08:00 walking 50 minutes

9:00 Edo wonderland with traditional dressing (booked)

15:00 Go kart or Edo wonderland till 5pm

18:00 Exploring surround, onsen again?

20:00 Hotel dinner

09/06 Kamkaura

09:00 Checkout

--Train 3.5h--

13:00 Luggage dropoff and Ryokan lunch

14:00 Beach time

17:00 Enoshima island, Enoshima cave, Enoshima Garden

19:00 Dinner

20:00 Shrines (Tsurogaka, Hachimam, Buddha statue) by night

09/07 Kyoto

09:45 Checkout

--Train 4h--

14:00 Dropoff and lunch

14:30 Western Kyoto (Kinkaku-ji Temple, Ryoan-ji Temple, Tenryu-ji Temple, Togetsukyo Bridge, Horin-ji Temple, Okochi Sanso Villa, Iwatayama Monkey Park, Arayashiyama)

22:00 Check in

09/08 Kyoto

07:30 Fushimi Inari Taisha

09:00 Tofuku-ji, komyo Ji, shorin ki, takio shrine

12:30 Konbini

--Train 0.5h--

14:00 Uji Park

14:45 – Tea and matcha experience (booked)

16:30 Byodo-in Temple

--Train 0.5h--

To Ji by night

Umekoji park

Karaoke

09/08 Kyoto

Morning: Chōyō no Sekku at Kamigamo Jinja.

Afternoon:

Yanaka shrine and maruyama park, Kenning ji,

Nijo Castle,

Nishiki market.

Evening: Pontocho

09/10 Koyasan

09:00 Checkout

--Train 2.5h--

13:00 Shojoshin fire ritual Goma

14:00 Kongobu ji

15:00 Check in

17:30 Dinner

09/11 Osaka

06:30 Buddhist ritual

07:00 Japanese breakfast

09:00 Okunion cemetery

--Train 2h--

12:00 Dropoff

12:30 Lunch

Afternoon: Den den town (Shopping, manga, Gundam, Pokémon..)

Evening: Namba (Dontombori and Shinsaibashi)

09/12 Osaka

Day trip to Nara (🦌, Todai ji, Kasuha taisha)???

Afternoon: Osaka Castle park and Kuromon market (before 6pm)

Evening: America mura

09/13 Tokyo

09:00 Check out

--Train 4h--

13:00 Dropoff at Yanaka hotel

14:00 Lunch and exploring yanaka

15:30 Ueno park (Ueno Toshogu Shrine - Shinobazu Pond) + shopping

19:00 Ameyoko street food

09/14 Tokyo

10:15 Checkout

10:30 Asakura museum

12:00 Lunch

12:30 heading to Narita flight at 5pm

EDIT: Thanks to everyone!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Azrou on 2025-08-11 14:25:02+00:00.

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My wife had to go to Tokyo for work last November, so I flew in on her last day of meetings and we spent the next 12 days traveling along the north side of Honshu, down to Kyoto, over to Fukuoka, and back to Tokyo. I had a new camera and lens setup so was really excited to capture the fall colors. Suffice to say that Japan was absolutely gorgeous at this time of year, and I think fall might be my favorite time to visit. Hope this report will be helpful to others looking to do a similar trip.

We’re in our 30s and experienced travelers. This was actually our third trip to Japan in 2024 – once to go skiing at Niseko early in the year, and once in the spring for cherry blossoms – but we lived in Asia at the time and had moved back to the U.S. in the summer. Time tends to be more of a constraint than money, and we like to be comfortable while traveling without going crazy on luxury hotels and the like. We tend to fill out the schedule without a lot of downtime and don’t mind long days.

Some logistical notes:

• Hotels – I made about half our reservations on Booking and the other half directly.
• Internet – I have a Google Fi phone plan and high speed data was seamless as soon as I landed. My wife rented a hotspot from a kiosk at the airport since she arrived earlier.
• IC cards – Not sure if Suica card availability is still an issue (maybe at the airport?), but I had no problem getting them at Tokyo Station.
• Trains – I think it has been well covered here, but since the price increase, the JR Pass wasn’t worth it and I bought all our train tickets individually. I booked Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen tickets on SmartEx and linked our Suica cards to the tickets. The app is pretty clunky, feels like an early 2000s interface and can be buggy with accepting some credit cards. Regardless I was able to link a Chase Visa card and it got the job done.
• Maps – Download offline maps on Google just in case. Interestingly, Google would sometimes give different directions on my phone (Android) than my wife’s (iPhone). Generally mine seemed to be more accurate and quicker, especially when transferring on multiple trains/buses. Would also suggest grabbing an app called Organic Maps and getting offline maps on that. It uses data from OpenStreetMap and has a lot more granular detail on certain things like hiking trails.
• Car rental – A bit more of an arduous process than in any other country I’ve visited. Rented one car in Kanazawa from Nissan and another in Fukuoka from Avis through their websites. Make sure you understand exactly what documentation is needed and bring hard copies. For most foreign driver’s licenses, you need an International Driving Permit. In the U.S. these are only issued by AAA and are valid for one year. There were some other quirks like needing to fill up the fuel before return at specific approved gas stations within a certain radius of the car rental office, and showing the agent the timestamped receipt. Anecdotally, the Nissan was a newer car with better features like integrated Android Auto. The Avis car – a Honda Fit, I believe - was a bit older and more basic.

Day 1 – Tokyo

Landed in the afternoon, got a ticket for the Narita Express at the airport, rode to Tokyo Station, and checked in at the Hotel Monterey Ginza. My wife had been at a hotel in Shinjuku for work so she moved her bags over. I saw on socials that an old friend was also on vacation in Japan, and in an incredible coincidence, it turns out she was staying at the exact same hotel. The three of us went for a sushi dinner at the Mitsukoshi in Ginza. Afterwards, we met up with another couple that we’re good friends with who happened to be in Tokyo on their own trip, and stopped at a sake bar.

Day 2 – Kurobe Gorge

Took the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kurobe and transferred to a local train to Unazukionsen. It’s a tiny place, so everything is within walking distance. We rode the Kurobe Gorge Railway and were rewarded with spectacular views. The gorge walls are steep, so I think the optimal timing is between 10am and 2pm when you’ll have fewer shadows. Try sitting on the right side leaving Unazukionsen and the left side for the return trip to get the best views. There are multiple vantage points in town where you’ll find iconic views of the rail bridges. Rail service was only to Nekomata because of damage from an earthquake in 2024, but the route beyond Nekomata to Kanetsuri and Keyakidaira is supposed to re-open some time in 2025. Back in town we went to a konbini to grab dinner and were surprised to find a troop of monkeys. There were about 25-30 in total wandering around foraging like they owned the place.

We stayed at a ryokan called the Unazukionsen Yamanoha and I didn’t see a single other foreigner there. It’s a larger ryokan but still quite traditional – I have a few tattoos and asked the staff if I would be able to use the onsen, to which they politely said it wasn’t possible. I wasn’t surprised but a bit disappointed as it hadn’t been an issue on previous trips to Niseko and Hakuba. There is an option to reserve a private onsen for 1650 yen to get around this though.

Day 3 – Kanazawa

Dropped our bags at the Daiwa Roynet Kanazawa Miyabi next to the main station in the morning. We spent the day exploring the city, starting off at Kenrokuen which is renowned as one of Japan’s Three Great Gardens. It rained off and on throughout the day but we got lucky and the clouds parted for a bit. The gardens are absolutely serene, and there’s even a small waterfall feeding one of the ponds. Before leaving Kenrokuen we stopped at Seisonkaku and then made the short walk to Kanazawa Castle. In the afternoon we took a bus to the tea district, Higashi Chaya, and sampled some teas and Japanese desserts at Sabo Issho. There were some things we missed like the geisha experience and Nagamachi samurai district, so I hope to get back to Kanazawa in the future. Note that the city buses don’t accept Suica cards – we had to pay cash.

Day 4 - Gassho-zukuri Villages

Picked up a rental car and spent the whole day visiting these UNESCO World Heritage sites. It was overcast and drizzling most of the time which created a wonderful fall atmosphere. Started in Ainokura, the smallest of the three villages. We mostly had the village to ourselves, which would not be the case later – especially at Shirakawa! There are a few short trails in the hills around the village that we explored before moving on to Suganuma. The traditional thatched roofs are remarkable.

We got to Shirakawa around 2pm and had to wait about 45 minutes just to get in the parking lot. This is the largest of the three villages by far and has some food options and souvenir shops. We wrapped up right as they were closing down at dusk and headed back to Kanazawa. There are dozens of tour buses dropping people off throughout the day, so if I had to redo our itinerary I’d have gone to Shirakawa first to try and beat the crowds. This was a Saturday and a holiday (Labor Thanksgiving Day) to boot which probably exacerbated things.

Day 5 – Kyoto

Over to Kyoto where we left our things at the Granbell Hotel before heading out. Most of the day was spent north of the city at Kuramadera. It is a long uphill walk to the temple that takes maybe 90 minutes depending on how often you pause to take in the beautiful pathway and shrines that dot the mountainside. The crowds thin out towards the top where you have the option of returning the same way back to Kurama station or taking a trail down the other side of the mountain. We opted for the latter and found a friend before stopping at Kifune Shrine. I was not expecting Kifune to be such a big attraction, but there were absolute hordes of people there.

The walk down to Kibuneguchi station is another 20-30 minutes on a paved road next to a stream with more gorgeous scenery. That night we met up with my friend from the sushi dinner in Tokyo to see the night illumination at Nijo Castle. There are better night illuminations in Kyoto to see the fall colors, but I hadn’t been to Nijo Castle before so it was a good way to end the day.

Day 6 – Kyoto

My wife was drained from the last few days so she grabbed a few extra hours of sleep while I woke up early and headed to Fushimi Inari. We’ve both been there before but experiencing the sunrise was a different experience altogether. I made it to the top around 7:15am, and by 7:30am the lighting was perfect. After a bit of time hanging out with [the foxes...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Content_Aardvark1652 on 2025-08-10 18:16:11+00:00.

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Sharing some details from our trip with this sub, as I got so many great ideas and advice from all of you while planning the trip.

Our stats: First-timers to Japan, Family of 4 with 12 and 17 year-old girls, from San Francisco (meaning unable to handle hot weather but used to city living and walking).

Day 1 - SFO to Narita. Opted to stay in Ueno due to recommendation I saw on Reddit. This was a great move as we were able to take the Narita Skyliner to Ueno in just 40 minutes. There are a few ways to buy these tickets and YouTube videos are helpful to see where you need to go and how the fares work. In the end, we did not prebook anything and simply bought them from the ticket office staffed by a human. Very easy and only a short wait. We opted for the &HERE hotel, which is a 5-7 minute walk from the Ueno station and directly across the street from Ueno park. they have contactless check in and our 4-person room had a small kitchen, table and bunks for our kids. Plenty of room and within easy walking distance of food, Ueno park and the Ameyoko area under the railway tracks. many options to help us stay awake until dark.

Day 2 - Explore by foot- Yanaka for “Old Tokyo” vibe, Ueno, and arcades and shopping in Ameyoko.

5 days on the Izu Peninsula. Train to from Ueno station to Shimoda, with a nice break/train switch in Atami. Lots of food options in a shopping complex connected to the train station. Rented car to get to AirB&B in Sotoura Beach, just outside of Shimoda. Car rental ended up being great idea as there are a lot of small towns and beaches to explore. The car provided flexibility and it was not difficult to drive/park. We had obtained our international drivers permits in advance at AAA ($20 fee).

The Izu peninsula has lovely beaches (Shirahama, Irata, Sotoura, Tatadohama) and clear, refreshing water. This is a popular tourist spot for Japanese later in the summer, but in June it’s still pretty quiet. We had a paddle board lesson and recommend the cafe IRIE Coffee & Sea in Shirahama. The owner is a surfer and makes great smoothies. Also recommend FermenCo pizza at Irata Beach - you can make a reservation online (in English) and skip the line!

3 days in Kyoto. We stayed at an Airb&b near the Fushiri Inari shrine. This made it very easy on the day we visited the shrine, but it was otherwise a little out of the way for seeing other parts of Kyoto. Nishiki market and the nearby outdoor shopping streets/malls were a big hit with our girls. We also had fun in Round 1 (video games, bowling etc). There was a more obvious tourist presence in Kyoto, especially in Gion.

2 days at Kinosaki Onsen for traditional ryokan experience. Easy train ride from Kyoto (2.5 hours on Express). We stayed at Onishiya Suishien and opted to do the traditional meal service (breakfast and dinner), and take advantage of the free passes provided by the hotel to visit the seven public Onsens in the area. This was a great way to relax after the bustle of Kyoto shopping, and the hotel also had free e-bikes that we could use to explore the town and greater area, including biking to see the Japan Sea. The biking was a highlight for our girls, one of their favorite parts of the trip!

5 days - Tokyo. It was a longer travel day from Kinosaki Onsen to Tokyo but it was a great opportunity to take the Shinkansen (about 5.5 hours total, transferring in Kyoto). We also enjoyed being in a completely different area of Tokyo. I can’t do Tokyo justice in this post, there is simply so much to do but if you have time to stay in two parts of the city, I recommend it.

On this leg we explored: Shibuya, Harajuku (teen fave), Daikanyama, Ebisu, Ropponga, Diver City (to see Gundam robot, then unplanned stop at science museum because the nearby malls were super crowded). Specific activities included Disneyland and Teamlab Borderless. These activities were fun and we are able to get tickets a day or so in advance. We debated Disneyland due to concerns about crowds and heat but opted to arrive later in the afternoon and just strolled in! Many of the rides only had 5-10 minute waits (longest wait was 40 min) and there was a nice breeze and it cooled off in the evening. Having been to Disneyland in California a number of times the Tokyo version seemed small in comparison but it was a low key and fun addition to our itinerary.

Highlights and learnings:

-Appreciated the Japanese culture and found everyone to be incredibly friendly, helpful and polite. Japan is very clean and I felt completely safe everywhere we went. We were able to let our kids have some independence in the smaller towns to walk around on their own.

-June is rainy season and also pretty warm. This year there was significantly less rain than normal so we only saw rain in Kyoto and it wasn’t a big deal. The clear plastic umbrellas are readily available at stores or hotels and are better than rain gear as you stay cool and can leave them outside of shops. The heat was another matter. Most days were between high 80s/low to mid-90s F (sometimes up to 97/98) with high humidity. This was quite challenging for us, especially when we were in cities, as we live in a mild climate with low humidity. For those who have more resilience to heat, this may not be a big deal at all. Everywhere has AC and the evenings are pretty pleasant so we found ourselves spending more time in museums or indoor malls during the day. The weather was great for the beach in Izu Peninsula.

-We used taxis much more than planned, in both Kyoto and Tokyo. We didn’t realize Uber is readily available in both locations. There are Japanese taxi apps that are likely cheaper and work equally well. I believe all the apps connect you to real taxi drivers (this was at least the case with Uber). You could always get a cab within 3 minutes and for us this offered a few advantages that made taxis worth it: escape from heat, quiet/no crowds so could offer some recovery between activities while seeing the sights from the car, no language barrier. I’m sure more expensive but we did have a group of 4 at all times.

-I regretted not learning more Japanese phrases before the trip. Everyone we met with willing to work with translation app or hand gestures if they didn’t speak English.

-I had read the advice many times that it’s worth learning how the trains work in advance of the trip. We didn’t heed this advice so made some time-consuming errors by relying only on google maps in the moment. We didn’t understand Green Cars or how you combine base fares with additional tickets. We eventually figured it all out but learned to work with humans at the stations when buying tickets instead of just guessing. Larger stations in the city are busy and crowded, so plan for extra time.

-You do need to have some cash. We experienced cash-only restaurants in all cities we visited.

-Our younger daughter has a nut allergy, so it was extremely helpful to have pre-printed cards with an explanation of that allergy in English and Japanese. We found these online and used 10-15 cards throughout the trip. It’s helpful to have a physical piece of paper that can be taken back to the kitchen if needed, and we didn’t get them all back. Many restaurants have detailed lists of what allergens are present in each menu item.

It was such a memorable trip, I would definitely travel to Japan again during a cooler time of year.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/rcecap on 2025-08-06 14:43:00+00:00.

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For an experience that is utterly different from what you'll find on the usual Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka itinerary, consider allocating 2-3 nights to visit Kiso Valley, a perfect blend of natural beauty and culture/history, where you can visit Atera Valley and hike the Nakasendo Trail. You can make a transfer in Nagoya (on the Shinkansen line between Tokyo and Kyoto) to make your way up to Kiso Valley.

Two highlights in Kiso Valley:

Atera Valley is a stunning mountain stream with otherworldly turquoise waters that the Japanese call “Atera Blue.” We just spent an incredible day exploring natural swimming holes surrounded by lush forest and dramatic mountain scenery in the heart of central Japan. In the fall, there is amazing fall foliage.

Another highlight is the classic hike along the Nakasendo Trail from Magome-juku to Tsumago-juku, two super-scenic Edo-era post towns. The 2-3 hour hike between these towns takes you through a beautiful, forested route with waterfalls.

We based ourselves in Nakatsugawa, a small town in the Kiso Valley just 50 minutes by limited express train from Nagoya. Nakatsugawa is a good choice as a base, as it is close to both Atera Valley and Magome-juku, and it has a good selection of accommodations and restaurants. The town is compact so everything is within walking distance.

For Atera Valley, we took a 30-minute local train from to Nojiri Station, then walked about 15–20 minutes to the mouth of Atera Valley. You spend the day on a scenic walk along a beautiful well-kept road that follows the rushing water upstream, passing pool after pool where you can swim, some of which are deep enough to jump into from rocks 5–13+ feet high. It’s an incredibly peaceful and relaxing day filled with refreshing swims, rushing water and scenic views.

Start your day with swimsuit under your clothes and bring water shoes or sandals (e.g. Tevas). Once there, you can rent e-bikes from a nearby parking lot, but we opted to walk instead. There is also a van that goes to/from nearby parking lots up the road.

We had two of our best dinners of our trip in Nakatsugawa, including Waraidokoro Airo (笑処 あいろ), an obanzai place run by two smiling ladies, and Shabu Shabu Aoyagi (志ゃぶしゃぶ 青柳), a counter-only place run by an elderly couple. Both are limited capacity restaurants, so be sure to make a reservation once you get to Nakatsugawa (just stop by before dinner service starts or make a reservation for the next night).

Be sure to bring cash, as many places in the Kiso Valley don't accept credit cards and local train stations don’t take Suica/IC cards.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/lindoreda on 2025-08-06 23:52:38+00:00.

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Hi all,

My husband, mom and I just got back from an extremely hot 2 ½ week trip, and I thought I’d share. My husband and I are experienced Japan travelers specifically, having visited 44 and 45 prefectures respectively, but this trip sticks to sights mainly on the western part of the golden route due to my mom, who really wanted to see Kyoto (she visited Tokyo enough for her taste when my husband and I lived there). We tend to focus on historical sights and museums, local food (and beloved chains), and shopping for local mascot characters. Having done most of the classic sights in this region, we deprioritized a lot of them.

It’s entirely possible to do more stuff than we did in a day, but it was between 90 and 100 degrees F almost every day with high humidity, and my mom had a bad reaction to a knee treatment right before leaving, limiting her mobility for a while. And then we all got sick. It was a great trip, but definitely not a packed itinerary.

This did get long because I have a lot to say in the hopes that someone might find it useful, so I ended up splitting it into two parts. The Matsuyama and Kyoto parts will come in the second post, once I get around to fleshing out my outline.

A few logistics notes:

We all have physical suicas picked up from previous trips.

All transit except the boat to Matsuyama, the buses in Asuka and the airport bus were paid for with suica.

The only prebooked train was the shinkansen between Osaka and Hiroshima, using SmartEx.

My husband and I speak Japanese, my mother does not.

Thursday 7/10 - Osaka

We landed in KIX directly from the US, rather than having to fly to Tokyo first and transfer. We got through customs procedures in about 40 minutes, largely because I picked the slowest moving line. Then we hopped on the train and made our way to the Red Roof in Namba. Normally we don’t pick western chains when in Japan, but I guess we got a deal. Definitely a Japanese business hotel with western branding, though.

Generally on our first night we buy toothpaste, but the nearest convenience store had been raided, so we spent way too long wandering around Namba trying to find one that was less picked over. And then trying to find sweat-proof sunscreen. Eventually, we accomplished our missions and collapsed.

Friday 7/11 - Osaka

We slept in out of respect for jet lag and ate convenience store bread for breakfast (true most days). My mom meanwhile decided to test herself and got a breakfast sandwich at the hotel next door. Once we were all combobulated, we decided for an “easy” day at Osaka castle. This ended up being hubris.

We last went to Osaka castle in 2016, as part of a two castle day with Nagoya back in the halcyon days of the JR pass being a good deal. At the time, I assumed my feet hurt so much afterward because… well, we did two castles in two cities on one day. I forgot that Osaka castle’s park is huge, and they added shuttle “buses” to get around the park for a reason. We hit 10,000 steps before lunch.

We opted not to buy tickets in advance, which meant waiting in line for the ticket machines for maybe 10 minutes. The line was covered, which is an innovation I wish they’d implement at Niagara Falls, but that’s a rant for another subreddit. The castle ticket includes admission to the small, recently opened castle wall museum, which we hadn’t been to before. Where the castle itself was slammed with people and it could be hard to get to some of the exhibits, the castle wall museum was quiet and cool. There’s not much there, but if you want a break from the crowds and the heat, it’s right there. It’s also got great english.

From there we decided to get lunch at the Osaka Gourmet Expo, which was on the grounds of the park, but actually pretty far from the castle. We ended up walking the full circumference to get back to the Osaka History museum, so in hindsight I might have chosen to have lunch closer to the history museum if only to spare my mom some walking. The Gourmet Expo itself is a collection of stalls that you order from via QR code. The food was good (okonomiyaki for me and my mom, beef bowl for my husband), but I don’t like QR code ordering. If you don’t speak Japanese, it’s probably more convenient, though.

After that was the Osaka History museum, which doesn’t seem to have changed since 2016. Plentiful english, and my mom enjoyed the intro to Osaka’s history. But the heat had drained us pretty badly at this point, so after navigating the dungeons of Namba station to find the 551 Horai (steamed buns), we retired to the hotel to rest until dinner. My mom ended up staying in for the rest of the night for her knee. My husband and I got different regional katsu bowls at nearby Miyamoto Munashi, and then popped over to Den Den Town for a little shopping. This was interrupted by sudden, heavy rain, and I dipped after two stores. My number one Japan tip: always carry a collapsable umbrella.

Saturday 7/12 - Asuka

My husband has been wanting to visit Asuka over in Nara prefecture for years because he’s a fan of kofuns - japanese burial mounds. He thought he had it figured out perfectly. We would walk less and take buses everywhere, because the buses are more frequent on Saturdays. This is true… in April and May. For those two months, they run extra buses on Saturdays. Otherwise, they’re once an hour. So we bought a day pass for the buses, but I’m not sure we ended up breaking even in the end.

In Asuka, we visited the Asuka History Museum first. It was light on English, but introduced a lot of the interesting artifacts from the area and the historical sites. We ended up getting lunch at a plant based food spot outside of the Asuka Museum of Manyo Culture, which was better than expected but small. They also ran out of food after we ordered so clearly if you need plant based food in Asuka go here early. The museum itself was pretty immersive with good english explanations, I would recommend it! The focus is on song and poetry, and even if you can’t understand the songs, you can definitely feel them.

After this we hopped on the bus to the Takamatsuzuka tumulus park, and specifically the mural museum within the park. Genuinely very cool, both in terms of vibes and temperature. The tomb found here had colorful murals inside, which is pretty uncommon in tombs from this period.

We could have walked around the park more, and I guess the thing to do is actually to bike it, but heat and pain were winning, so we took the bus back to the station, and trained back to Osaka. We had to make a poorly indicated train transfer (if you don’t speak Japanese), but luckily it was cross platform and I was paying attention, so we made it.

My mom wanted okonomiyaki for dinner, so I found Fukutarou in Namba station, and remembered it being recommended somewhere. Possibly here? There was a short wait, and they were clearly prepared to try and do everything through gestures up until I revealed that I speak Japanese. My mom tried the negiyaki and liked it, but my husband found the okonomiyaki under-sauced and with not enough ginger. As with everything, ymmv, I liked it.

After dinner, we took a break until dark, and took a walk through Dotonbori. I’ve always avoided it because I’m not one for crowds and nightlife, but it was worth doing once, at least as a fan of the yakuza games. It’s totally possible to take a walk down the canal without being sardined, once you get past the lines for the boat rides anyway. 

Sunday 7/13 - Osaka

We started the day with a pretty niche set of shrine and temple visits: one in honor of Sanada Yukimura, and the other on the former site of the Sanadamaru. Almost no english, really only interesting if you’re into this particular sengoku period warlord. Or if you want to see the alleged tunnel to Osaka castle.

The next stop was the Museum of Housing and Living, which my husband and I had done before, but thought my mom would be interested in. She loved it, so, win. If coming by subway, the museum is easy to find and well signed from within the tunnels. We came by JR years ago, had to find it on the street, and ended up having to ask for directions. So take the subway. One thing about this museum, the permanent exhibition after the model town relies on QR codes for their multilingual information, which I feel really slows down the flow of visiting a museum.

Now, the big mistake of this day. We forgot about the expo. Specifically, that it was Sunday, and many people might choose to take the Chuo Line to the expo on their day off. But we bought advance tickets to Kaiyukan for my mom, and we had a 1 pm slot. So we crammed ourselves onto the Chuo line and assured ourselves that the mall at Tempozan was still a great place to get lunch.

We ended up getting takeout from a katsu restaurant in the mall, eating them in a back corner of the old Osaka nostalgia alley. And it was honestly really good! But the place was a zoo, and we should have known better. The true pain was getting out, though. I think it took us four trains before one came out of Yumeshima with enough space for us to get on, which was another lesson learned. Expo traffic does exist, mainly on the Chuo line, especially near the western end, mainly on weekends. Plan accordingly.

My mom really enjoyed Kaiyukan, she got a go pro basically for this purpose. But it's gotten kind of expensive and they surge price, so I don't suggest just showing up without planning...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Dangerous-Cost8183 on 2025-08-05 06:07:33+00:00.

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Hey,

So i did Mount Fuji last week. I'm fat (110 kg for 1m80) but i pulled it off, by taking time to ascend. The ascent was not so difficult ( subashiri trail, with a stay at the 7th station Taiyokan ). I did not climb at night to get the sunrise, and it was a good thing, because with the fog in the morning nothing was to be seen. It was long, and at the end it really started to drag, not really physically, but with the lowering temperature, the small rain, and the endless stairs and laces.

We started at 11h at station 5 (taking 45 minutes to actually start, with sun screen, and so on) and arrived at 16h at the station 7 on day 1, taking time to do pauses and stamps. We then started at 5h, after a light sleep ( people are so fucking noisy in the stations ) and arrived at 9h30 to the top on day 2. Arriving at the top dispelled any fatigue instantly.

The descent was a nightmare without gaiters, with rocks going into my shoes every 100m, and 4 days after the descent, my muscles are still sores. People talk about running down in the sand for the Subashiri trail. It was not an option for my knees because of my weight, so i took my time (god bless the rendet hiking sticks at station 5) and it took maybe 5h30 to 6h30 to get down ( the 3 hours you see online for the trail are only if you can run the whole thing down I bet ).

To quote https://mynihonblog.com/2024/02/21/japan-2023-summer-day-12-descending-mount-fuji-on-the-subashirir-trail-with-altitude-sickness/ :

You’d think that once our symptoms improved the rest of the descent would be joyful, but no, this is where it gets worse haha. I had, of course, read about the sand run which is part of the descent on the Subashiri trail, they say you can get down several kilometers in less than an hour here if you slide/run your way down. (...)

Sand run is a little incorrect, instead of sand the run is made of small(er) volcanic rocks which steal your entire foot with each step. You also slide forward about a foot with each step too, making each step a bit of an adventure, and absolutely killing your knees as you try to keep upright. And the hardest part, the path is straight down, no switchbacks, no curves, straight down the entire way!

I did not get altitude sickness : the thing is only 3 800 m high, I went skiing at those altitudes and i personally think it's not big deal, but i saw (mainly japanese looking) people with oxygen can.

Anyway, if you have any question regarding equipment or the trail, don't hesitate !

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/DeclanBarry on 2025-08-04 11:29:57+00:00.

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Hi all,

We're staying in Tokyo from December 24th until December 31st this year. We're a couple that have been to Tokyo 3 times before.

We've done the following:

🏙️ Tokyo – Areas and Neighborhoods

• Shinjuku
  • Cat Advertising Board
  • Omoide Yokocho
  • Kabukicho Tower
  • Golden Gai
  • Disney Store
• Asakusa
  • Sensoji Temple
  • Kaminarimon Gate
  • Asahi Building
• Roppongi
  • Tokyo Tower
  • Zojoji Temple
  • TeamLabs Borderless
• Akihabara
  • Anime Shops
  • Super Potato
  • BEEP
  • Mandarake
• Harajuku
  • Takeshita Street
  • Meiji Jingu
  • Totti Candy Store
• Ginza
  • Art Aquarium Museum
• Ikebukuro
  • Sunshine City
  • Mega Pokémon Center
  • Animate Shop
  • Aquarium
• Odaiba
  • Tokyo Joypolis
  • Trick Art Museum
  • Unko Museum
  • Small Worlds Tokyo
  • Gundam Statue & Factory
  • Aqua City / Diver City Mall
  • Rainbow Bridge
  • Statue of Liberty
• Shibuya
  • Shibuya Scramble Square
  • Shibuya Sky
  • Town Records Shop
  • Mandarake
  • Sakuragaoka-cho (cherry blossoms & lanterns)
• Gotokuji
  • Gotokuji Temple
• Kappabashi / Asakusa area
  • Kappabashi Street
• Oshiage
  • Tokyo Skytree
  • Ushijima Shrine

🎡 Theme Parks & Experiences

• Disneyland
• DisneySea
• Ghibli Museum
• TeamLab Planets
• TeamLab Borderless
• Sumo Wrestling
• Warner Bros Studio Tour
• Pokémon Café

🌸 Cherry Blossom Viewing Spots

• Ueno Park
• Sakuragaoka-cho (lantern street near Shibuya)

⛩️ Temples & Shrines

• Sensoji Temple
• Meiji Jingu
• Zojoji Temple
• Gotokuji Temple
• Ushijima Shrine

🗻 Day Trips

• Yokohama
• Kawaguchiko
• Kawagoe
• Kamakura
• Hakone

On our list this time is the following:

• Tokyo Disneyland - For Christmas Day
• Tokyo Station - Pokémon store and Christmas decorations
• Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo
• Roppongi Hills - Christmas Decorations
• Tokyo Tower - Revisit at night
• Shibuya - LOST Bar (Chris Broad's bar)
• Shinjuku City
• YAYOI KUSAMA Museum
• teamLab Planets TOKYO DMM - Revisit due to it being just after Covid and had to wear masks + new areas
• Azabudai Hills Market - For the Christmas Market
• Yoyogi Park - Christmas Decorations

We're also planning a day trip to Nikko.

Is there anything that we've missed that is a must see, and anything that we should keep in mind for visiting during this period?

Thank you.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/renodc on 2025-08-05 15:33:45+00:00.

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Went to borderless in Tokyo last year and was impressed. The new one in Kyoto opens this October and pre sales are now online. Luckily it coincides with our trip there!

Been watching the site for a while and it just opened up for bookings today.

https://www.teamlab.art/e/kyoto/

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/picknicksje85 on 2025-08-03 12:27:00+00:00.

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Since my flight is arriving at Fukuoka Airport I decided to stay and check out the city for 3 days before heading to Kyoto which is always my base. It's kinda set and paid for so 3 full days is all I've got. I'm not looking to go too far by train. So I can't go and explore the rest of Kyushu. Looking for any suggestion, a cafe, intersting bakery, a certain yatai food stall, park, viewpoint, landmark, winebar, any kind of hidden gem I'm open to! I'll be there at the end of October. What I've got planned:

-BROT LAND (I want to check out the pretzels there)

-Pant-Based cafe NICE (saw him on YouTube)

-Nakasu Food Stalls

-Nokonoshima Island Park (to check the cosmos flowers)

-Atago Shrine (on the way to the ferry to Nokonoshima)

-Fukuoka Castle

-Ohori Park

-Japanese Garden (in Ohori Park) To have matcha & sweets!

-Fukuoka Art Museum

-Tenjin Underground Mall

-Canal City Hakata

-Hakata Port Tower (Kinda prefer this tower to the main one, all orange with free observation deck)

-Fukuoka Prefectural Government Building (Has a free public space and is superclose to the place I'm staying. Just planning to pop in here at the start of a day)

-Nanzoin Temple (To see the reclining Buddha. Some travel time involved here)

-LaLa Port Fukuoka (There's a Gundam statue there as well. Might skip it though. It's a bit out of the way)

-Fukuoka Tower (just to see it lit up not going up there) and Momochi Seaside Park

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Amo901 on 2025-08-02 05:59:07+00:00.

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I normally hate the heat of summers but Mt Fuji's climbing season landed in summer and I'd seen videos online about climbing it (Abroad In Japan), and it really interested me so I planned a one week trip to Japan to hang out in Tokyo for a bit and also climb Mt Fuji during the middle of the trip.

I went with three friends, and we all climbed to the summit together. We paid the entrance fee for Mt Fuji online and received QR codes. We booked a hut at the 8th station Taishikan and we were going to take the Yoshida route. None of us were hikers or had any experience hiking, but felt that we were relatively fit. I personally barely do any exercise but my job requires me to walk around for at least 5 hours a day without sitting down so I wasn't sedentary or anything. That being said, none of us hiked, so we rented equipment from Yamarent. The beginner's 6 piece set.

July 21st

We woke up at roughly 5:30am, left at 7am and headed to the Yamarent store in Shinjuku. The sizes that we initially ordered were too small for us though, so it took some time to try on new hiking boots and such. Afterwards we rushed to Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal to catch our bus to the Fuji Subaru Line 5th station. Right outside of the bus stop there was a Lawson though, so we loaded up on lots of onigiris and boarded our bus at 8am. The ride took roughly 3 hours and we got there at 11am. Once we arrived we hung about for 30 minutes. We knew that acclimating to the altitude was important and its recommended to hang around for an hour or so, but our check-in time for the hut was between 2pm-5pm so we had to start moving soon. Around the 5th station there's some ads posted around with a QR code that makes you install a Mt Fuji climbing app. It was actually a very helpful app that showed us where we were on the trail and updated us on the time and altitude. To bring back that point about the heat earlier, when we arrived to the 5th station we immediately felt a lot cooler there. It was around 32-34 degrees in Shinjuku but it felt like 28 around the 5th station if I had to estimate. However, the clouds were on and off, covering the sun up. Once the sun started beaming down again, it felt like we were being baked. Sunscreen was super important here. Also, there were signs plastered everywhere saying that bins do not exist on Mt Fuji and all trash must be carried back home with you. This issue will come up again later.

Anyway, at 11:30am, we started our hike. Before heading to the Yoshida trail, there's a counter where you show them the QR codes you received if you paid the entrance fee online. We received glow in the dark tags that we were required to put somewhere visible on our bodies or backpacks. Once we did that, there were guards at the entrance to Mt Fuji that checked whether your tag was correctly placed, before letting you go on the climb.

The climb itself was pretty strenuous for us. At the start of the hike it's pretty simple though, a gravel path with a slight incline where you're pretty much just walking. The views around here are already pretty great though, overlooking forests and lakes, clouds around us. We even saw a deer and her baby roaming around. And even though I had been worried about hiking in summer, the heat wasn't a problem at all, just when it started baking us as the clouds parted momentarily. However, around the 7th station the difficulty ramps up a lot. The easy to walk path doesn't exist anymore, and there's just natural rock formation that you have to take big steps over, or start using your hands or hiking sticks to climb. It can be very easy to fall if you misstep or have bad footing so had to be super careful. Yamarent's hiking boots were super good though, I was stepping onto rock surfaces that I had no right gripping on to. Also, I'm not sure if the hike brought out some breathing issues I was unaware of, but I found myself huffing and puffing really fast, even though I wasn't actually tired. After many 5 minute breaks and our onigiri stockpile finished, we made it to our 8th station hut at 4:20pm.

We were served dinner at around 6pm, it was some grilled mackarel, curry and rice, a small salad and a red bean fish cake for dessert. It was a small meal but somehow pretty filling. Stepping out of the hut to go to the bathroom, it was surreal being surrounded by nothing but clouds After we ate, we went straight to bed. We had initially planned to wake up at 12:30am to start hiking again to catch the sunrise, but we overheard plans from other hikers in the hut that planned to leave at 11:30pm instead, so we decided to follow along.

July 22nd (almost)

I only got about 3 hours of sleep. The Taishikan Hut was extremely hospitable, the staff were extremely nice and the food was great, but the sleeping quarters unfortunately were rough around the edges. We didn't expect luxury at all, we were just happy to be sleeping somewhere at all, but the leather block pillow and mattress was tough to sleep on. And it was like a capsule hotel, so there were neighbours right next to each capsule. Unfortunately there was a really inconsiderate couple talking throughout the night that stopped my sleep, and I lost my temper and yelled at them to be quiet after which they did. But at 11:30pm, we got up, got ready and headed off again. The stretch from the 8th station to the 9th station was also rough, in that the stretch from the 7th station to the 8th station was a painful 2 hours, but this was going to be double the length. But in terms of the incline, it felt about the same. Climbing at 12am, the stars looked incredible and we could see shooting stars from time to time. Leaving the hut at 11:30pm was actually good, because nearing the summit there's a lot of traffic. We reached the summit at 4:18am, just in time to see the sun rise at 4:35am. We hung out there for about an hour and a half enjoying the corn soup from the vending machines and admiring the view. Once we had our fill, we began the descent at 6am.

The descent was so much worse than the ascent for our group. The entire descent down was the gravel pavement from the earlier 5th station to 6th station stretch, but the gravel was finer and the steep declines would have your feet sliding. Feet being raked across the gravel, all of us were in pain for the next 5 hours. Eventually we made it back to the 5th station at around 12:30pm. Apparently it takes 5 hours on average, but our feet were in so much pain we took a lot of breaks just to let our feet rest. By the end of the hike we had 4 bags packed to the brim with garbage (empty water bottles). During the ascent we bought a lot of water bottles at the various huts lined along the Yoshida Trail beause we hadn't packed any water beforehand, so we had lots of garbage that just kept piling up as we were hiking and couldn't dispose of it because of no bins on Mt Fuji. Bring a lot of cash because the huts will milk you dry if you're not packing a lot of water.

Overall, it was a pretty great experience as a group of people that haven't hiked at all. The views along the path were stunning, and the weather really worked out in our favour as the hike wasn't rainy at all and it wasn't windy at all either. Though it was funny, an hour after we got back down to the 5th station it started thunderstorming and hailing. We met some pretty interesting people along the way (a group of girls that we kept running into along each station, a Spanish father yelling obscenities whenever he checked how many meters were left till the hike was finally over, a man who hiked to the top in a white tuxedo and dress shoes??) and the whole thing was an experience I won't forget. The vibes are great too, everyone being friendly and having that understanding that we're all going through a struggle together to reach the top. I'd do it again for sure, maybe another trail, but hearing how the Yoshida Trail is the easiest one, we'd probably have to become more fit before we can take on the others.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/FlatwormSuspicious98 on 2025-08-01 05:16:33+00:00.

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A few months ago I read in a Facebook travel group that from July 8th 2025, Japanese airlines require passengers who bring power bank to cover it's ports with insulation tape, and then put it in a separate pouch (probably a ziplock or some sort).

Have any of you already had experience with this regulation, ground staffs checking everyone's power bank before boarding maybe?

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/mithdraug on 2025-07-31 06:36:56+00:00.

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Roppongi Art Night

Description: A vibrant all-night city-wide art event in Tokyo blending installations, performance, and nightlife in the Roppongi district.

Scale: Large-scale urban festival, attracts over 600,000 visitors.

Dates (2025): September 26–28

Website: [https://www.roppongiartnight.com/2025/english/]

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Nakanojo Biennale 2025

Description: A rural art festival turning abandoned buildings and countryside of Gunma into immersive contemporary art experiences.

Scale: Over 150 artists from Japan and abroad across 50+ venues.

Dates (2025): September 13 – October 13

Website: https://nakanojo-biennale.com/english

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Chiba City Triennale 2025

Description: A new triennale highlighting Chiba’s urban culture, waterfront heritage, and post-industrial revitalization through public art.

Scale: Multi-site festival across 4 city zones.

Dates (2025): September – November (exact dates TBA)

Website: https://artstriennale.city.chiba.jp/

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Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale

Description: The world’s largest outdoor art festival transforming 200+ rural villages into permanent site-specific artworks in Niigata.

Scale: 760 sq km area, 300+ artworks, 500,000+ visitors.

Dates (2025): July 19 – November 9

Website: https://www.echigo-tsumari.jp/en

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Aichi Triennale 2025

Description: Japan’s most intellectually critical art festival combining contemporary art, theater, film, and performance across Aichi Prefecture.

Scale: Internationally curated event with 80+ artists.

Dates (2025): September 13 – November 30

Website: https://aichitriennale.jp/en

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Setouchi Triennale 2025

Description: An island-hopping art festival turning 12+ islands in the Seto Inland Sea into art destinations, merging nature, history, and community.

Scale: Over 200 artworks across 14 islands and coastal towns.

Dates (2025): Spring: April 18 – May 25; Summer: August 1 – 31; Autumn: October 3 – November 9

Website: https://setouchi-artfest.jp/en

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BIWAKO Biennale 2025

Description: A refined art and design biennale utilizing abandoned machiya townhouses and heritage buildings in Shiga to host poetic site-specific works.

Scale: Small but high-quality showcase of international and Japanese artists.

Dates (2025): September 20 – November 16

Website: https://energyfield.org/biwakobiennale

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Credit to: /u/The_boneless_artist/ for compiling the list.

Please use this as a discussion thread for the art scene. Any meet-ups should be arranged (as per rules) via meet-up thread or Discord's Meetup channels.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Tink_BoBink on 2025-07-30 02:46:16+00:00.

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Hi All! My husband and I are going to Japan for the first time next year. We would love feedback, opinions, and insights to our itinerary. We are very open to new suggestions as well. For context, we love museums and historic sites, but we tend to spend at least three hours in museums (eg we spent 5 in the Uffizi in Florence...) and we don't easily get burnt out. Whenever someone suggests we reserve a specific amount of time for a museum, we almost always give ourselves more! We are capable of having some long, packed days while still enjoying them (as long as all are not like that), and these days can be my absolute favorite! We are 30 and can spend lots of our time walking around.

**pottery recommendations for Kyoto? tours, classes, shops?**

***stationery shop recommendations?**

Day 1 - Arrival Day - Tokyo

We will be jet lagged so just conbini - 7/11,  Lawson, and Family Mart Dinner. Playing anything else by ear and will be leisurely. We have made the mistake before to plan lots of a travel day and we will not be doing this again lol

Day 2 - May 2 - Shinjuku - Harajuku - Shibuya:

• Shibuya Neighbourhood
  • Shibuya Crossing, hachiko statue & shopping, MEGA Don Quixote; latte art at reissue, stationery shops
• Harajuku
  • Cat street, takeshita, mipig cafe Harajuku;
• Shinjuku Neighborhood
  • Golden Gai - collection of 200+ bars; Alpen Tokyo (shoe outlet, shoes are cheap in japan); GachaGacha no Mori; godzilla statue,
  • Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
  • Shinjuku Izakaya Bar Tour at Night

Day 3:

• Tokyo National Museum, Ueno Park
• Akihabara Neighbourhood:
• Ryogoku Kokugikan (Sumo Match)
• Shibuya at Night
  • Shibuya Sky
  • Jo - Michelin Omakase

Day 4:

• Tsujiki Market
• TeamLab Planets
• Ginza Neighbourhood - MUJI flagship
• Imperial Palace and Gardens (eh if we can fit it in, not too bothered, is this worth making a priority?)
• Kabuki Show at Kabukiza Theatre
• Tokyo Tower Walk By at night

Day 5:

• Asakusa (what to do in neighbourhood, stand out shops etc?)
• Kura Sushi conveyor flagship
• Senso-Ji Temple
• Kappabashi Street
• Tokyo SkyTree walk by at night

Day 6:

Ghibli Museum!! Praying to lottery gods

Day 7:

Travel to Hakone, stay at onsen, relax

• best onsens to stay at?

Day 8:

Hakone Loop

• suggestions for things to do outside of the standard Loop

Day 9: early train to Kyoto (is this day completely infeasible? are we nuts. if yes where can we fit these in)

• Fushimi Inari
• Fushimi Sake Brewery Tour and Museum

Day 10: opinions welcome please! will be spending whole day in Arashiyama

• Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
• Monkey Park
• Possible Option: Tenryu-ji Temple and Gardens
• Possible Option: Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple
• Possible Option: Hozugawa River Boat Ride End Point
• Possible Option: Gio-Ji Temple and Moss Gardens

Day 11:

• Nishiki Market Shopping District - Walking Brunch Food Tour
• Pontocho
• Sannenzaka Ninenzaka Ichinenzaka Neighbourhoods
  • Kiyomizu-dera Temple
• Gion at night
  • Geisha history walking tour at night

Day 12:

• Kinkakuji - golden pavillion
• Traditional Tea Ceremony with kimonos at Jotojuki Temple (are these two events too far from each other? would a taxi be reasonable?)

Day 13: day trip to Nara

• Nara Park
• Todaiji Temple
• Nara National Museum
• Nakatanidou
• other options? too much? too little?

Day 14: train to Osaka

• Osaka Castle and gardens (get custom engraved chopsticks)
• Dotombori District
• Dotombori night life tour (clubs,bars etc)

Day 15:

• Idea for morning??
• Shinsaibashi-suji Shopping Arcade/Street
• Shinsekai Night Street Food Tour
• Round1 Arcade at Night!!

Day 16

• USJ

Day 17: Help!! we need ideas. Options include:

• day trip to Amanohashidate
• Katsuogi Temple & Cup Noodle Factory
• Himeji
• Further suggestions welcomed!

Day 18: chill, wander around, fly home from Osaka

Thank you all for your help!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/throwawayFASS on 2025-07-28 10:04:01+00:00.

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Hi guys, hoping for some feedback on my itinerary (mid Sep 2025). I'll be travelling with my parents who are in their late 60s.

Day 1: Land in Chitose

• Check-in to hotel near Sapporo train station
• Susukino in the afternoon
• Ramen for dinner

Day 2 (Otaru) - NB: Respect for Aged Day

• Rent a car for the rest of the trip
• Explore Otaru
• Nikka distillery
• Cape Kamui
• Return to Sapporo

Day 3 (Lake Toya)

• Check out of hotel
• Drive down to Lake Toya
• Lake Hill Farm
• Orchards
• Check in to hotel in Toya
• Watch fireworks

Day 4 (Hakodate)

• Check out of hotel
• Showa-Shinzan
• Funkawan Bay
• Onuma Park
• Check in to hotel in Hakodate

Day 5 (Hakodate)

• Morning market
• Ropeway
• Star fort

Day 6 (Sapporo)

• Check out of hotel
• Drive to Noboribetsu
• Return car
• Shopping for souvenirs in Sapporo
• Check in to hotel in Sapporo

Day 7

• Fly home

Now, we really like nature, mountains, cliffs etc. But September doesnt seem ideal for Furano. I also don't think we can hike very much (no longer than 1.5 hour with minimal ascent), so I've ruled out Daisetsuzan.

Feedback or suggestions of any kind (especially Japanese food) are appreciated!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/coaker147 on 2025-07-30 03:39:58+00:00.

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We experienced our first tsunami warning this morning in Kamakura. At about 9:30 this morning our cell phones had loud messages and the public PA system were broadcasting warnings to get to higher ground.

We were going to go up a hill behind our Airbnb but there was a senior citizen centre that invited us up to their roof. The staff were looking after the senior citizens but they still took the time to check on us and to offer us water.

A few things that we learned or reinforced old lessons:

• It’s always good to have a stock of water bottles ready to go. We had picked some up the night before to use for breakfast and we were able to quickly grab them and head out the door
• Hats and umbrellas help. We were on a roof for several hours before we were told that we could leave and there wasn’t much shade. Grab hats and umbrellas when heading out the door.
• Having food available would be good, especially if the situation is very bad. There was no warnings before the alarms started going off so we took what we could.
• I also grabbed our wallets and passports on the way out as we didn’t know when we would be back. Also it’s always good to have them with you at all times.
• I didn’t even think to look for signs for the tsunami evacuation centres before hand. There was someone directing everyone on the street but in retrospect I wish that I had taken a look at the map of evacuation centres before hand.

This is our sixth trip to Japan and the first time we experienced this. Luckily it wasn’t bad where we were, hopefully the rest of the country is OK.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/jdaneau on 2025-07-29 14:26:44+00:00.

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Just got back from a day at Universal Osaka, mainly to see Super Nintendo World since my girlfriend and I are both big Nintendo fans and it's been on our bucketlist for a while. In general it was a fun time and I would probably recommend it, but with a few caveats. If anyone is on the fence about going, hopefully this post may help influence your decision.

First, I'll mention the things I really liked. The overall decoration and immersion of the area is fantastic. The green hills, spinning coins, piranha plants, giant Mario actors, etc. Really fun just to look around and take pictures. The shops had a lot of fun souvenirs that didnt feel TOO overpriced (still overpriced, but its a theme park so that's to be expected), and they're a nice break from the scorching summer sun. The employees were kind and helpful enough, though they all walk around with a gigantic forced smile which feels a bit distopian. The two big rides were fun. Mariokart VR is a little bit sketchy but it works well enough. The rules of the shell shooting weren't that well explained but it really doesn't matter for your enjoyment of the ride. Donkey kong was a great roller coaster with fun tricks and turns. The food stalls were fine enough- I didn't get the hot dog but the DK shake was pretty good and came with a souvenir mug. They also sell frozen mangoes or pineapples which is really nice on a hot day.

Now for the cons. The most glaring problem is the crowds and the waiting times. Dear god the waiting times. We followed all the social media advice of getting to the park an hour before opening and it barely made any difference; we still had hundreds of guests who arrived before us and all beelined it straight to Nintendo World, so they were pretty full already when we got there. It's a small area with not that much space to walk around, and there are so many people walking around at any given time. Combine that with really hot summer weather and you can become irritable pretty quickly. We went on all three of the major rides (Mario Kart, DK Minecart, Yoshi Adventure) and we waited a combined 6 hours in line. Note that we didn't have an express pass because they were all sold out months in advance. Donkey Kong took 3 hours by itself, partially because there was an hour delay caused by... something??? (Not really sure, but I think a guest might have dropped their phone on the ride) Where the line just sat still and didn't move. Theres a big section of the queue that sits right in the open sun, so I can imagine those people were suffering. I don't know how often these delays are but there seemed to be at least three on the day we visited. While the ride itself is fun, it's not really worth the 3 hours wait. It's a cool short roller coaster ride but nothing more. We had an easier time queuing for Mario Kart because of the single riders line. The queue was all indoors so it was not as bad to be stuck in. Yoshi's adventure was cute and had nice views over the area, but the ride itself was basically nothing. It's mostly for little kids. In general there's nothing wrong with the park but the rides really do not justify the waiting time. Maybe if you get in early and run straight to Donkey Kong you can shave an hour or two off the wait. There's also the whole mess of trying to get a timed area entry ticket when you enter the park; we were able to go straight in because of showing up early, but after a couple of hours you have to reserve a timeslot through the app and they probably go pretty quickly.

Another con (related to our visitation date) was the heat. Japan is extremely warm in the summer and Nintendo World is nicely out in the open sun, inviting all the ultraviolet into your skin. We conbatted this with a combination of parasol, sunscreen, gatsby wipes, and lots of fluids. But even then, my back was still completely soaked with sweat the whole day. If you're not used to high temperatures it can be quite a challenge. I can imagine the Orlando park has the same problem. For anyone with kids on summer vacation, I would be cautious about going. They will get very hot and tired and cranky very quickly and I'm sure standing still in a line for three hours won't help with that. You can much better try to get an express pass, but good luck.

Lastly, I want to mention the monetization. They try to get you to buy a special "power up band" that enhances your experience for a few thousand yen p.p. We didn't end up getting them, but it's a shame a whole set of attractions in the area are locked behind a paywall. The drinks, food and snacks were certainly not cheap, which is to be expected. There was at least free water fountains around the park and, very nicely, inside the DK ride queue. If you plan on getting a few souvenirs that'll of course also rack up your bill.

TLDR: Here are my thoughts summarized

• Nintendo World looks amazing and will be worth it to see if you're a Nintendo fan like myself
• The area is small and crowded and the rides consistently have the longest wait times in the whole park, reaching above 200 minutes sometimes.
• The food and shops are fun, but not cheap.
• Some of the smaller attractions are locked behind a wristband that you need to buy separately.
• It's extremely hot in the summer and you will probably sweat through your clothes.
• Kids will get cranky from the heat and the waiting if you don't have an express pass. For adults, maybe consider not going if you aren't that big of a Nintendo fan.

That's pretty much all I have to say! I hope this might help out anyone who was considering going but is on the fence. Remember that you can have plenty of fun in Japan with things that aren't universal related.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/190702_ on 2025-07-25 04:54:25+00:00.

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Tokyo (Day 0-5)

MON/22nd Dec; Day 0 :

(TOKYO) arrive in Tokyo

TUES//23rd Dec; Day 1:

head to hotel in Shinjuku

• late arrival in Japan, go to hotel (Shinjuku) grab dinner and walk around

WED//24th Dec; Day 2:

• Meiji Shrine
• Harajuku (Takeshita Street)
• Omotesando
• Head back to Shinjuku (food, activities, shopping)

-omoide yokocho for food,

-don quijote

-see 3d cat & Godzilla head

• Kabukicho ( Saschas favourite!, possible red light district at night)
• Shinjuku night time - whatever we want (clubs, activities, dinner etc.)

THURS//25th Dec; Day 3:

• TeamLab Planets (morning) [BOOK IN ADVANCE]
• have lunch nearby teamlabs
• head to Shibuya (food, activities, shopping)
• Shibuya Sky at night [BOOK IN ADVANCE]
• night time - whatever we want (clubs, activities, dinner etc.)
• head back to hotel (Shinjuku)

FRI//26th Dec; Day 4:

• Day Trip to Mt Fuji, head to Akakurayama Sengen Park for good view of Mt Fuji and explore temples (go early morning)
• Head to Ginza (food, shopping) ginza six rooftop for free, iconic biggest uniqlo, GU store
• night time - whatever we want (clubs, bar, dinner etc.)
• Head back to hotel (shinjuku)

SAT//27th Dec; Day 5: Last Day In Tokyo!

• Asakusa → Leave luggage at station lockers or ask hotel to store luggage if they can, or use third party luggage services in city
• Senso-ji Temple
• Nakamise Shopping Street
• Akihabara (use coin locker at akihabara station for luggage)
• Head to Kyoto via Shinkansen and arrive at new hotel (check shinkansen departure times)

Other options:

Ghibli Museum, Nara Park

Kyoto (Day 6-8)

(KYOTO)

Head to hotel in Kawaramachi

SUN//28th Dec; Day 6:

• Kiyomizu-dera Temple (get there early around 7:30 gets very busy) will be a fee to enter
• Sannen-zaka (Yasaka Pagoda)
• Ninenzaka
• Yasaka Shrine
• Maruyama Park
• Kodaiji Temple (Might need to pay entry fee)
• Explore Gion District, do whatever (hanamikoji street)

MON//29th Dec; Day 7:

• Fushimi Inari (get there early around 7:30 gets very busy)
• Nishiki Market
• head to Nanzen-ji Temple via taxi
• walk to Philosopher’s Path
• Head to Pontocho Alley, do whatever (kamogawa river parrellel to pontocho alley)

TUES//30th Dec; Day 8: Last Day in Kyoto!

• Breakfast
• Leave luggage at station lockers or ask hotel to store luggage if they can, or use third party luggage services in city
• Head to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest via taxi
• Walk to Iwatayama Monkey Park
• Golden Pavillion via taxi
• before we leave do last minute activities
• Proceed to head to Osaka via Shinkansen and arrive to new hotel and get dinner around Osaka, (check shinkansen departure times)

Other options:

visit the iconic kyoto starbucks

Osaka (Day 9-14)

(OSAKA)

Head to hotel in NAMBA

WED//31st Jan; Day 9:

• Universal Studios (ALL DAY) [BOOK IN ADVANCE 2-3 months before]Go early morning to avoid long queue to entry (6-7am) stay until fireworks and get taxi back to hotel

THURS//1st Jan; Day 10:

• New years Day! alot of stores will be closed, we can go to Shrine to celebrate Hatsumode (FIrst Shrine Visit) Festivals at Sumiyoshi Taisha
• explore dontonburi and shinsekai with some stores opened and just walk

FRI//2nd Jan Day 11:

• Day Trip to Nara (go abit early as things close earlier then usual in nara, 8-9am)
• Get the famous Nakatanidou Mochi (handmand mochi)
• Higashimuki Shopping street
• Sanjo-dori Street
• Nara Deer Park
• go to Mizuya Chaya for udon if not busy
• visit Todai-ji Temple will be entry fee
• Yoshikien Garden
• Head back to osaka and explore dontonbori further

SAT//3rd Jan; Day 12 :

• chill day (relax day, walk, shop, do stuff we want)
• go to Kuromon market
• Namba NanNan Town
• Namba City
• Orange Street
• Takashimaya Department Store Food Hall
• explore shinsekai nightlife

SUN//4th Jan; Day 13:

• morning visit Namba Yasaka shrine
• shinsaibashisuji shopping street
• amerika-mura
• head to Daimaru umeda shinsaibashi (pokemon center/pop mart)
• umeda sky building via bus (at night) [book in davance]
• explore umeda for the nightlife (clubs, dinner)

MON//5th Jan Day 14:

• Day Trip to Awaji Island for Nijigen No Mori (anime amusement park)

-entry fee is free but for each ride must pay

• after finishing Nijigen no mori, get food on Awaji Island if we are hungry
• head back to Dontonbori and explore places we haven't been to
• do whatever for the rest of the night enjoy last day in Osaka!

TUES//6th Jan Day 15: Last Day in Japan!

• get up early for breakfast and head to train station
• Head Back to Tokyo station via train
• do last minute shopping and other things around Tokyo station before leaving
• Leave Tokyo, head back to NRT(aprt)

Other options:

skiing

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/rcecap on 2025-07-20 16:10:08+00:00.

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I just spent a day exploring Asuka (from Nara), and honestly, I’m still processing how incredible it was. It’s definitely not on the standard tourist radar—I didn’t see a single Western visitor all day. Most people I saw were Japanese tourists, plus a handful of Asian visitors.

If you’re into scenic rural landscapes and history/archaeology, Asuka is an amazing hidden gem I’d absolutely recommend. Not touristy, incredibly scenic and peaceful, with lots of history and archaeology.

Asuka is considered the birthplace of Japanese civilization— its first capital, where early centralized political structures, Buddhism, and cultural influences from China and Korea took root, and where the country name Nihon (日本) was first adopted.

I mainly went to check out the ancient historical and archaeological sites, but what surprised me was how scenic and peaceful the whole area is. I spent the day e-biking through terraced rice fields (along with bamboo groves and cosmos fields in bloom) and narrow village streets, all surrounded by mountains and dramatic Ghibli clouds today. It’s honestly one of the most pleasant casual bicycling days I’ve experienced anywhere.

Right next to Asuka Station, you can grab a English map from the tourist office to plan your day. There are numerous spots to see in the area, all reachable by bicycle. I rented an e-bike from Himawari Bicycle Rental, located next to the station, for ¥1,200 for a full day (they have a ¥200 digital coupon on their website). Return it by 5pm when they close. The area is hilly, so I would recommend an e-bike. Set off and spend the day exploring archaeological sites and small local museums, ride past rice terraces and through rural roads, stop for lunch or coffee, and just soak in the scenery.

The key archaeological sites such as Takamatsuzuka and Kitora have adjoining small modern museums which are quite nice to visit - modern, air conditioned and with plenty of artifacts, dioramas, multimedia exhibits, models, etc. Compared to Kyoto National Museum which I visited earlier this week, these museums felt much more intimate and “real”

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they let you get close to the artifacts and history in a way the big places don’t.

For the history buffs, make a pit stop two stations before Asuka at Unebigoryo-Mae Station and visit the Archaeological Institute of Kashihara’s museum. It’s a medium sized museum that is super well designed and quite accessible to non-Japanese speakers. It covers the Jomon / Yayoi periods to the Kofun and Asuka periods, with special focus on local archaeological finds. Give yourself an hour there.

Asuka works easily as a day trip from Osaka, Kyoto or Nara. Depending on your train choices (local vs. express), you can reach Asuka in just over an hour to up to 1 hour 40 minutes one way. Absolutely worth it.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/zymox808 on 2025-07-19 21:58:15+00:00.

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Appreciate all the advice and info here and on other subreddits that helped with shaping our itinerary. Sharing our experience to pass it forward, so someone else may find it helpful for their plans/ideas.

Context:

• Two teenagers who have never been to Japan. They want to see some of the sites posted on social media. Two parents who have been to Japan before and want to avoid crazy tourist spots.
• Minimize backtracking as much as possible.
• Index towards public transportation. No car rental.

11 day/10 Night Itinerary:

• Narita (1 night)
  • Overnight at hotel near airport, with early morning flight out to Hiroshima. Its cheaper and faster than taking shinkansen.
  • The optimal food option (cost, variety, quality, and effort) is to eat at Narita airport. Terminal 3 has a pretty good food court before security.
• Hiroshima (2 nights)
  • Peace Park and Museum: Solemn experience, worth it.
  • Miyajima: Floating Tori Gate and Mt. Misen. The ropeway up to Mt. Misen was closed due to maintenance, thus we hiked up. There is no water up on top except for two vending machines. Plan accordingly.
  • Shotengai: Are shopping street/arcades typically with a covered roof. Can find one in most Japanese cities has numerous dining and shopping options. Hiroshima Hondori shotengai has lots of shopping and dining options.
• Kotohira (1 night)
  • Ritsurin Garden in Takamatsu: Visited in the morning, few visitors, amazing Japanese Garden.
  • Kotohira Shrine (Konpira-san/Kotohiragu): This was a hidden gem, visited near closing and early in the morning. Very tranquil, not many tourists, there are many steps to climb.
  • There are numerous good rykoans with onsen and kaiseki here.
• Himeji (1 night)
  • Himeji Castle: Very impressive castle and grounds, you also get a small discount if you have any of the major JR rail pass.
  • Himeji shotengai, between station and castle. Seems to closed down earlier than other shotengai. Maybe caters more to the tourist vising for the day.
• Kyoto (3 nights)
  • Kobe: Day trip going from Himeji to Kyoto. Visited Nunobiki Herb Garden just right next to the station. Enjoyable, nothing too amazing. Took the ropeway up, hiked down. Thought the hike down was more enjoyable, i.e. waterfalls, quietness, nature.
  • Osaka: We bypassed it except for a night trip to visit Dotonbori.
  • Almost every sightseeing place we went to in the Kyoto/Osaka/Nara area were heavily packed with tourists. Tour buses were ubiquitous here. Early morning is best bet to avoid crowd, but there will still be tourists like us.
• Tokyo (2 nights)
  • Ueno Station: Based near here due to plan to ride Keishi Skyliner back to airport.
  • Teamlab Borderless: Great experience. More enjoyable if take time to slow down and immerse/interact with the exhibit.
  • By this point, the teens were scarred from the heavy touristy spots in Kyoto/Osaka, so changed plan to avoid super crowded areas and focused on shopping and enjoying the food.

Transportation Passes:

• Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass: The transportation cost between Hiroshima and Kyoto was comparable with or without the pass. However, the flexibility that the pass provided was what worked for us as we could hop on any JR train (including shinkansen) without spending time booking individual tickets. This saved a lot of time.
• Tokyo Metro 24, 48 or 72H Pass: As others have mentioned this was not a slam dunk decision. It only works on Tokyo Metro and Toei subway lines. Not on JR trains or buses. We got it and worked for us as we were based near Ueno station which has two metro lines there. It let us hit shopping areas away from the more touristy places. It required transferring multiple lines, but gave flexibility on when to make the transfer.
• Google Map: Is a very useful app, but doesn't filter by what pass you have and you'll need to know pass limitation outside of the app. We tried other apps and none were as good as Google Map with routing and on time info.
  • Kyoto <> Nara is serviced by two rail companies (JR and Kintetsu). JR rail pass only works on JR and not Kintetus. Google Maps would route us on both companies in a single trip.
  • Tokyo Metro and Toei subway lines are designated by a single letter, such as G = Ginza line, while JR lines are designated by two letters, such as JY = Yamanote line. Found setting Google Map filter (Options > Prefer = Subway) helped a lot but would suggest JR lines even in that setting.

Heat and humidity is oppressive in the summer:

• After experiencing first day of heat, we adjusted our plan to sight see in the morning and travel/shop/veg in the afternoon with another possible sightseeing trip in the evening. We adjusted the itinerary to build in slack for rest due to heat.
• Bring lots of quick dry clothes, not cotton. You are gonna sweat profusely. Can wash the quick dry overnight, wring it out with a towel and hang, should be dry by morning. However, I ended up doing it in the morning as the slightly damp clothes provided a nice cooling effect.
• Pack Light: We forward our large luggage to Kyoto and packed what we needed for first segment of trip in our backpacks. To keep backpack light, we had two quick dry outfits each. Used luggage lockers to store backpacks when day tripping and don't have a hotel.

Hope this travel report helps and happy traveling.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/LittleTinyBoy on 2025-07-19 01:45:20+00:00.

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My family of 5 recently went on an 8-Day trip to Japan for the first time. I wanted to make a report/summary of our trip for both myself as a journey log and for reddit as a thank you to the community that has helped me so much. I hope this post can be helpful to other new travelers. So far, I have made a post to review my itinerary and a post of my revised itinerary. Now I will make a summary of the itinerary that was actually executed.

Context: Was always a dream to visit Japan ever since discovering anime. Did a lot of research about the places we were going to visit and the activities we were going to do and even the restaurants we could eat in. Made a lot of backups incase things didn't go as planned (It didn't lol). Learned basic Japanese phrases through YouTube and ChatGPT (The goat 2nd only to Google Maps) that would help me communicate with locals when eating, commuting, shopping and sightseeing.

Apps That I Used:

Google Maps - My general primary travel guide. It was almost always on or in my background checking if we were on track and on time.

Google Lens - Go-to translator/ information guide. Instant and relatively accurate.

ChatGPT - My preferred translator when I wanted to ask questions on the fly. Preferred it because I was able to provide context and made the translations more appropriate.

Japan Transit Planner - Used it whenever the trains got too confusing (mostly due to the local and rapid train schedules). Side note: Whenever I asked locals for directions on trains, they always used this app.

CardReader - To keep track of our 5 suica cards

Ecbo Cloak - Booked a reservation on our final day, so that we didn't have to drag our luggage around Tokyo. Highly recommend if you have large luggage.

NERV - An alert app for natural disasters. Thankfully never had to use it

Accommodation: We booked directly through a Japanese resident costing 11,600yen per night for a small 3-storey house complete with amenities in Kawasaki. Cheaper than a hotel booking especially for a family of 5 and imo more comfortable. Made our stay a lot more fun when we would buy bento and grocery food. The host was also sooo accommodating.

Things I learned: Be flexible. The first few days I tried my hardest to stick to the itinerary and in turn quickly tired out my family. I could keep going, but I realized this was our family trip so I made retroactive changes. I also greatly overestimated my family's willingness to walk long distances.

Small Gripes - As we were going in and out of Tokyo, it was baffling how the left & right walking etiquette kept changing. I've noticed only Tokyo walks on the left and the further you are from Tokyo, right side walking becomes the norm. Bus stops outside of Tokyo are very discreet. A few were basically playing hide & seek with us. Lack of shade. The fact that rain did not become a hindrance to our trip was both a blessing and a curse. The constant walking under the sun took a toll on my family. Changes had to be made due to this. This could be a tourist specific problem as everyone else would jump between being indoors and outdoors compared to us who would spend hours outside. The heat and humidity were fine like any SEA country, but it was the combination of long shadeless walks that became a problem.

Essentials: 1. Pocket Wifi - Must-have for stress-free navigation. Ninja Wifi suited our needs the best. 2. IC card - Must-have to avoid wasting time at ticket machines and getting stuck at ticket gates. Welcome Suicas are the best IMO as you can easily empty it out on your last train ride by choosing the option to top up the exact amount needed to exit the station. 3. Umbrella - Or any other thing to protect you from the sun. 4. Power bank - A small 10000 mAh one is enough to ensure your phone gets through the whole day. Your phone is your key to everything; don't lose access to it.

Summary: Amazing people. I've read some people say that the Japanese do not like foreigners, but I still went in with an open mind and made sure I would be able to communicate with them on a basic level. I was equally met with kindness and sometimes even more as there were instances where they would personally lead us to where we needed to be. Staff were almost always kind except for one tourist trap place we ate at. Amazing public transportation. When you factor in the volume of daily commuters they need to cater, it's amazing how efficient the system is. Even in the Outer Tokyo parts, they manage to provide great service. There were times when the platforms, exits, train lines, local vs rapid trains got confusing, but it was manageable and I was getting more accustomed as time went on. Amazing food. Don't be scared to try anything. Amazing culture. If you respect the culture, I promise you it's very worth it. We weren't perfect ofcourse, but everyone was very understanding.

Home Base #1: Okubo, Shinjuku

Day 1 (Start: 5PM) :

Early Dinner: Noseya (Abura Soba); Great first stop. Host/Chef was friendly and helpful. Lovely local soba restaurant.

• Shinjuku - Saw the cute 3D cat. Went to Alpen Tokyo to check out shoes and admire the baseball merch (All hail Ohtani-san)
• Shibuya - Shibuya Crossing photo ops and Starbucks for an aerial view; Saw Hachiko the goat; Shibuya Loft to buy stampbooks
  • PS: We bought stampbooks for us to collect eki stamps of train stations we would pass through. A memorabilia I cannot recommend enough as it is a fun experience and something you can return to and reminisce on. We also bought a Goshuin book for the same reasons, but for shrines and temples. Instead of being free like in eki stamps, goshuins cost 500 yen but you get to watch beautiful calligraphy each time.

**Day 2 (**~~7AM~~ 7:30AM) - Was also able to get the famous train-staff-pushing-you-into-the-train experience due to peak hours; Was very surprising and uncomfortable, but is now a memorable experience and a fun story to tell.

• ~~Hachiko Statue~~ - Removed as photos were adequate the night before.
• Tokyo Station - Extremely photogenic train station
• Kokyo Gaien National Garden - Was only able to view from the outside
• Tokyo Metro Govt Building - Beautiful cityscape, but there was a haze/fog surrounding the city.

Lunch: Blue Plate (Curry) - Amazing curry, beautiful blend of spices and herbs.

• Koenji - I expected we would've spent more time here, but the walking fatigue took a toll on my family. Adding the fact that they weren't too amazed with the local scenery, the stop was cut short.
• Nakameguro (~~Night~~ Afternoon) - Walked along Meguro River to Starbucks Reserve Roastery. Good coffee, amazing decor and layout.
• Shin-Okubo (Korea Town) - Due to the additional time we had, we were able to visit Korea Town which was nearby our stay. Okay place, was able to witness Japanese Police in action: Calm and used numbers to surround the alleged offender's car.

Dinner: Ramen Kagetsu Arashi - A ramen chain restaurant. Delicious cheap ramen. On the saltier side, but I've read that Japan prefers ramen to be salty.

**Day 3 (**~~7~~ 6AM) - Decided to leave earlier to avoid the morning rush as we were also moving to our second and last stay place.

Home Base #2: Shitte, Kawasaki

• Yamashita Park - Beautiful Park. Also saw the Hikawa Maru Museum Ship.
• Komachi Street - Lots of street food. Ate lunch here
• Tsurugaoka Hachimangu - Out of the 6 shrines/temples we visited, this was my favourite. The combination of very few tourists, beautiful scenery and watching the monk handwrite the calligraphy made the experience memorable.
• Hokokuji Temple - A serene bamboo forest.
• Shonan Coastal Beach (Sunset & Mt. Fuji) - Went to this beach hoping for a shot of the sunset and Mt. Fuji together. What made this spot memorable was enjoying the sea winds and cloudy views with friendly locals. I asked a local where would you generally see Mt. Fuji and he was very kind and helpful and although we only saw a silhouette of it, we stayed to chill and listen to a couple singing.

Dinner: Kinokuniya Shokudo (Seafood Donburi) - Local restaurant that apparently was one of the oldest in the area. Very friendly staff with family vibes. Delicious and fresh seafood. Affordable prices. One of the top places we ate in.

Day 4 (7AM, Travel to Hakone)

Lunch: Daiyuzan Line Station Cafe (Omurice) - Arrived right as it opened. Cool aesthetics as it originally was a train station and they maintained the theme. Pretty pricey omurice and hamburger steak, but it was high quality Ashigara beef and soft omelette.

• Amasake Tea House - 400 year old teahouse. Okay tea and desserts. Go for the vibe.
• Train to Gora Sta. (Hydrangea Viewing) - *Vibrant flo...

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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/FinSampuli on 2025-07-16 09:19:18+00:00.

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Hey!

This autumn, I’m traveling to Japan for the second time. On my first trip, I visited Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, so this time, I’m not spending much time in those areas. I'm planning my route to follow the fall foliage, traveling from Sapporo down to Nagoya. I’m a 30-year-old solo traveler, and this itinerary focuses on the places I personally find most important to visit. I also have many more spots saved on my map. I'll check them out if I have the time and energy. :)

I welcome ideas and improvements!

Here’s my itinerary:

29.10. – 3.11. | Sapporo Arrival in Sapporo. Planning to visit Maruyama Park, the Sapporo TV Tower, and the Sapporo Beer Museum. I’ll also do a day trip to Otaru, and maybe one to Asahiyama Zoo (still deciding!).

3.11. – 5.11. | Aomori Staying in Aomori and visiting the Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse. Might do a day trip to Lake Towada or Takayama Inari Shrine.

5.11. – 9.11. | Sendai Visiting the National Treasure Osaki Hachiman Shrine and doing a day trip to Yamagata to see Risshaku-ji Temple.

9.11. – 12.11. | Nikko Planning to visit Toshogu Shrine, the Tamozawa Imperial Villa, Sazae Temple, and possibly Edo Wonderland.

12.11. – 15.11. | Nagoya Highlights include the Toyota Commemorative Museum, Nagoya City Science Museum, and maybe Ghibli Park if I can fit it in.

15.11. – 17.11. | Nara Exploring Nara Park and nearby attractions.

17.11. – 18.11. | Mount Koya (Koyasan) Visiting Kongobu-ji Temple and Okuno-in Cemetery.

18.11. – 23.11. | Hiroshima Planning to visit the Peace Memorial Museum and Dome. I’ll take a day trip to Itsukushima (Miyajima) and another to Fukuoka to see a sumo match.

23.11. – 26.11. | Nagasaki Visiting the Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum.

26.11. – 29.11. | Tokyo Spending my final days in Tokyo—no specific plans yet, just taking it easy before heading home.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/ShinkansenSlide82 on 2025-07-16 02:33:30+00:00.

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Just got back from Expo 2025 and honestly, it was a total letdown. Easily the worst part of our time in Japan. Here's what went wrong

• As most of you know, the official Expo site is a nightmare to use. It’s cluttered, hard to follow, and way more complicated than it needs to be. Making reservations felt like navigating a bureaucratic maze. The pavilion lottery system was just as frustrating, convoluted and unfair. We didn’t get access to any of the ones we were actually excited about.

• The event was absurdly overcrowded. It was clear that ticket sales were prioritized over visitor experience. Lines stretched endlessly, and half the time we had no idea what we were even waiting for. The website provided little in the way of helpful descriptions or previews. Yes, you can find unofficial videos on YouTube, but it’s baffling that the organizers didn’t provide better tools for planning. After waiting hours, we’d end up in pavilions like France (basically a giant ad) or Latvia (a wet wall)

• Inside the gates, crowd control was practically nonexistent. Seating was scarce, shaded areas were rare, and there were no indoor air conditioned places to sit and cool down.

• Accessibility seemed like an afterthought. There were no visible accommodations for guests with mobility challenges or physical limitations.

• Food was a joke. Limited choices, poor quality, and insanely long waits, and this might be forgivable if the food was actually good... It wasn’t.

• Pavilion content was often shallow and forgettable. After all that time in line, we were usually greeted with uninspired tourism videos or blatant corporate promotion. Even the Gundam experience felt lazy, only half of it had English subtitles. Why not all of it?

• We expected cutting edge tech, creativity, and forward thinking ideas. What we got was marketing fluff, tourism ads, vague messages, and filler content.

• We didn’t even stick it out. We left early, completely disillusioned and frustrated.

The whole thing felt rushed, mismanaged, and designed with profit, not people, in mind.

tldr: Skip the Expo. If you’re in Japan, use that day to visit literally any other city. We regret wasting our time there!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Admirable-Dream-4271 on 2025-07-15 10:45:54+00:00.

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Hi everyone!

I'm heading to Japan in September for work and planning to extend my stay a bit. I've put together a 10-day itinerary and would really appreciate any feedback, suggestions, or must-see recommendations!

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Pre-trip

I'll arrive in Japan about 4 days early: 1 day for rest, and 3 days for work (mostly around Yokohama and Tokyo).

• Day 1 (Tokyo)
  • 09:00 - Sensoji Temple and Asakusa
  • 12:00 - Imperial Palace
  • 14:00 - Momat
  • 18:00 - Shibuya
• Day 2 (Tokyo)
  • 09:00 - Gotokuji Temple
  • 12:00 - Denim worksop
  • 15:00 - Disneyland
• Day 3 ( Mt. Fuji & Hakone)
  • Full-day private tour
• Day 4 (Tokyo)
  • 10:30 - TeamLab Planets
  • 12:00 - Tsukiji Market
  • 14:00 - Ginza (shopping)
  • 18:00 - Tokyo tower
• Day 5 (Tokyo)
  • Full-day - Ghibli museum tour
• Day 6 (Tokyo -Kyoto)
  • Free-day
  • 18:00 - shinkansen to Kyoto
• Day 7 (Kyoto)
  • 06:00 - Fushimi Inari Taisha
  • 10:00 - Stroll through the Higashiyama District
  • 14:00 - Nintendo museum
• Day 8 (Osaka)
  • 08:30 - Kyoto - Osaka shinkansen
  • Full-day - Universal Studios
• Day 9 (Nara & Uji)
  • full-day- Nara & Uji & Kyoto private tour
• Day 10 (Kyoto)
  • full-day: Cycling Katsura path - Arashiyama - bamboo forest

After the trip

4 full days in Kobe for work, then back to Tokyo for returning to home

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This itinerary leans a bit theme-park-heavy thanks to my friend’s interests, so those days are non-negotiable 😊. That said, if you have any “you’ve got to see this if you’re in the area!” suggestions, I'm all ears!

I'm also working on a custom map filled with restaurants and cafes so we’re not scrambling to find food on the go.

Since we’ll be visiting during typhoon season, I’m trying to keep things flexible but most of the major attractions are already pre-booked. Any tips on what to do if plans get canceled due to weather? Backup indoor activities or general advice would be super helpful!

Thanks in advance!